25 Content Strategies

These strategies have been utilized and proven with our clients, and they can immediately affect your marketing and sales. So, grab a pen or pencil and write these down. They will change how you communicate about your business. Enjoy!

(1) TALK ABOUT WHAT IT "MEANS"

One of the cardinal mistakes businesses make when it comes to marketing is they talk about what their product/service is, instead of what it means to their audience. Think about it this way: McDonalds isn't the greatest meal out there, but it is simple, makes parent's lives easier, and is extremely affordable. So, talk about what your business means to your potential clients, not just what it is.

(2) USE PROFESSIONAL IMAGERY

Imagery will tell a lot about the professionalism and quality of your work. So, in your writing and marketing efforts, make sure that you use images that represent your brand accordingly. A few things to think about: 1) will the image be pixilated? 2) Do I have the rights to use this image? 3) Does this image reflect my brand's message/values?

(3) FORMAT FOR MOBILE

In 2017, everything is mobile. Because of this, make sure that your content, imagery, landing pages, and blogs are formatted for mobile devices. Design directly impacts the experience and effectiveness of your content and marketing. If you have questions about formatting your website for mobile, connect with our friends Authentic Form & Function.

(4) YOU HAVE 37 SECONDS

According to NewsCred, you only have 37 seconds to capture the attention and desire of your audience when it comes to them reading written articles such as blogs or landing pages. Thus, it's important that you're concise, valuable, and not intrusive.

(5) USE INFOGRAPHICS

An infographic is a design that tells a story (often with images, stats, and other forms of content). Infographics are effective in many ways, but one key reason is their storytelling ability. Coupled with quality design, the valuable story is a direct tug at the heart for consumers and often times supports the products/services a company provides. You can use infographics to tell your story.

(6) DEVELOP A CALENDAR

Having a content calendar is extremely crucial to the success of a business's writing efforts. This calendar does two things: 1) It keeps a documented path of what's coming up (think task list), and 2) it keeps perspective of the larger marketing strategy that your business is advancing.

(7) MEASURE EVERYTHING

Success is defined in analytics, so it's extremely important to measure everything. Every business is different and that means that the measurements and goals you create will be unique to you. Some examples of goals include growth of social media followers, growth of website traffic, direct sales of a product, more phones calls, etc.

(8) ADD VALUE TO OTHERS

You audiences are looking for answers and you solve them. So, make sure that your writing adds value to them (just enough to capture their attention and interest). When you add value to people, they realize you're not just selling and that you actually care about their business.

(9) TELL STORIES

Stories are an easy way for businesses to connect with their potential clients. Don't be scared to talk about the successes - and failures - you've had as an organization. These stories provide a connection point directly to your audience (something that they can relate with, respect, or simply understand).

(10) MAKE CONTENT SKIMMABLE

Not everyone will read ALL of the content. So, make sure that the article, post, landing page, or whatever piece of written content you're creating is skimmable. This will ensure that you're still able to provide value even if the consumer isn't wanting to take all day to learn more. Remember, you have 37 seconds.

(11) TAKE TIME TO WRITE A "GREAT" HEADLINE

The headlines of your written content truly impact the success of your content strategy. Yes, you have 37 seconds of someones time once they're in the content, but you actually have less when they are skimming by. So, make sure that each of your headlines include a relevant topic, an acknowledgment of a problem, or a direct solution for that problem. Make sure you gain their attention quickly.

(12) OFFER BONUS MATERIALS

Under promise; over deliver. You don't have to give every individual the world, but keep in mind that people love FREE things, and "extras." So, create an extra blog article for them, a downloadable e-book, or maybe even a giveaway. This will be another way for you to enhance your brand image and integrity.

(13) USE SIMPLE LANGUAGE

Be simple. Not everyone went to an ivy league school.

Also, not everyone expects technical writing all of the time. Be simple and relatable.

(14) LET SEO IMPACT YOUR WRITING FORMULA

SEO is something that nobody fully understands, right? That's okay though, the good news is that you can write for SEO purposes without being a "qualified" professional. For those who don't know, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Essentially, SEO is important for businesses because consumers look for answers/solutions around certain topics, and when those topics relate to what your business does, it's important that your name shows up. One tool that can help you is Moz Pro.

(15) CHECK YOUR GRAMMAR

Use spellcheck.

Read your article a few times.

Have someone else read it too.

(16) ASK YOUR AUDIENCE

Having trouble determining what to write about? That's okay, just ask your audience. One of the most underutilzied marketing strategies is simply having a conversation with those you're actually marketing to.

(17) LET A GUEST WRITE FOR YOU

You don't have write everything. Feel free to ask someone else (maybe someone from a partnership business) to write a guest post for your blog. This not only strengthens the partnership relationship between businesses, but it also creates another unique opportunity for your business to add additional value to your audience.

(18) BE VULNERABLE

Vulnerability connects people in a deep way. Don't be afraid to be vulnerable as a business.

(19) DON'T OVERSELL ANYTHING

If you promise the world, you'll have to deliver it. So, when it comes to your writing, be realistic and understand your own limitations. By writing around the areas you're an expert in, you'll be more qualified to perform for your clients, and you'll also develop a stronger brand.

(20) TRY TRY TRY

Writing takes strategy, good grammar, and time.

But most importantly, it takes effort. Don't be afraid to try, and the try some more. Effort will get your farther with your content strategy than any "glorified" strategy will.

(21) INCLUDE A CALL TO ACTION

Ultimately, your business is looking for each audience member to do something. Decide what that something is and make sure you give them the opportunity to do so. Some CTA's include: 1) signing up for a newsletter, 2) purchasing a product, or 3) setting up a free consultation.

(22) HAVE GOALS

Goals will be the lifeblood of your continued content marketing success. Like mentioned above, content takes effort, and that effort will be discouraged quite quickly if you don't have reachable goals set.

(23) HUMANIZE YOUR BRAND

You business has a personality, and it's okay to flaunt it. By humanizing your business, you become even more approaching. Also, by humanizing your business, you will begin to attract the appropriate customers (those who you can relate with and will LOVE to work with).

(24) TEST SMALL, LAUNCH BIGGER

You likely won't launch a $10million product day one. However, you can begin to determine the success of an idea that had $10million potential by testing it on a small audience. If you know what your conversion to buy is with a 100 people, you can also understand what it is at 1000 people.

(25) Get Help when necessary

You don't have to know everything. Our agency doesn't either. In 2017, marketing is becoming more and more specialized, so likely - if you hire someone to help - they'll be extremely specialized. It's good business to focus on what you're good at, and hire others to do what you're not. Our team does that all the time.

We hope these strategies were helpful to your business. If you STILL HAVE QUESTIONS, SETUP A FREE CONSULTATION WITH US by clicking below.